Residential and business customers today are very design conscience about their home and office surroundings. Often they want the interior of their homes/offices to be modernized with the latest and sleek looking fashion trends. For some time now, a common practice is to modernize homes that contain what was once considered a trendy feature. Namely, acoustic ceilings.
It is known in the building trades to coat an exposed layer of sheetrock or stucco lattice in a ceiling with a base coat, and then spray on that coating a mixture of acoustic material that has a binding agent mixed therewith. It has often been referred to as a “popcorn” or “cottage cheese” ceiling, since the outward appearance resembles a bumpy layer of popped corn. For some time now, almost every redesign involves removing the popcorn—or acoustic ceiling—so that stucco, paint, or glazes in any number of shades and tones may be used to present a more up to date ceiling treatment.
Acoustic ceiling removal is a messy and potentially hazardous endeavor. It is labor intensive, mostly involving a trowel-like scraper, broom, plastic drop cloths, ladder, sand paper and dust pan and vacuuming equipment. If one uses a misting agent such as water to first soften the popcorn, such an approach may create a glue-like mixture that soon covers the work place and gets all over everything—including hand implements in use. Removal attempts on a dry basis are even a more potentially stringent problem because of the dust, dirt and debris that is created in the air. Some acoustic material may be mixed with asbestos. Breathing such a foul dust, dirt and debris mixture is not healthy, to say the least.
Moreover, this manual prior art approach is also time consuming, very costly and creates health hazards as mentioned above. Estimates for a 15 foot by 20 foot room run about $3,000.00 to $5,000.00 for the labor-intensive ceiling removal work when asbestos is involved. Additionally, it often becomes necessary to attempt to seal off the other rooms in the residence or office to minimize the disruption to the use of the rest of the office/home. Unless one wears some form of a mask and breathing apparatus, there is very little protection from the dust and dirt mixture in the air. All of these factors bring the safety and level of skill of the workers into play.
In short summary, acoustic ceiling removal is a drawn out, dangerous and costly affair. A better way is required, and that better way is presented by this invention which for the first time discloses a new and an improved method and apparatus for acoustic ceiling removal.